AIKEN, S.C. – The Lander baseball team was left searching for its first Peach Belt Conference victory Saturday afternoon when the Bearcats dropped a league doubleheader at No. 16 USC Aiken, 12-8 and 3-2. (Game 1 Boxscore | Game 2 Boxscore)
USC Aiken improves to 15-7 overall and 7-1 in the PBC, while Lander moves to 13-7, 0-5. The two teams will conclude the three-game series with a single game at 1 p.m., Sunday at Roberto Hernandez Field.
The Pacers took control early in first game utilizing the long ball on multiple occasions before the Bearcats were able to claw their way back into contention.
Jowan Gray and Travis Howard led USC Aiken at the plate going 3-for-5 with one home run each. Gray also had three runs and three RBIs to lead the team while Howard chipped in two runs and two RBIs of his own.
Stephen Carmon started things off for the Pacers by lacing the first pitch of the game over the right field wall for a home run.
Gray led off the bottom of the second inning by sending a ball off the right side foul pole for a home run of his own.
The bottom of the third inning saw Carmon spur the big scoring surge for the Pacers with a stand up triple to deep right-center field. Bill Rice then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Carmon and put USC Aiken up at 3-0.
Nick Aranas laced a home run of his own over the right center field fence to score Howard.
Gray followed up his earlier home run by hitting a hopper over the third baseman’s head to score Gary Asbill and Noah Wethington for two of his three RBIs. He then advanced to third and into scoring position due to an error by the left fielder.
Carmon was able to lay down a chip hit that was mishandled by the first baseman to get on base and score Gray putting the Pacer lead at 8-0.
Lander’s Bud Lanier kept Steven Owens from getting the no hitter in the top of the fourth with a chip shot to the second base area, but the Bearcats were unable to capitalize.
The bottom of fifth inning saw more of the same from the Pacers when Will Fulmer double to deep left center to score Gray.
Rice then sent a sacrifice fly a few moments later to right field to score Fulmer.
With USC Aiken up 10-0 and David Vitko on base, Howard stroked a homer to right field to put the Pacers up 12-0.
Lander’s shortstop Alan Abreu opened the floodgates for the Bearcats when he scored on a wild pitch in the top of the sixth inning to bring the score to 12-1.
The Bearcats were able to claw their way back to within four in the bottom of the eighth inning. With the bases loaded, Jordan Owens began the scoring drive for Lander by ripping a ball down the left field foul line to score Abreu, Robert Skinner, andLanier to put the score at 12-4.
The Bearcats would score four runners in the inning to pull within four of the Pacers but USC Aiken would never relinquish the lead in the closing moments.
Darrin Tew suffered the loss on the mound for Lander in the first game striking out just two batters and giving up seven earned runs off 13 hits. He falls to 3-3 for the season.
Owens improves to 5-1 after giving up just one run, two walks and fanning 13 batters in seven innings of work.
In the second game, Lander was able to score first in the second game when Abreu scored off a double by Lanier.
In the bottom of the first, with the bases loaded, designated hitter JJ Loker walked with the bases loaded to move Vitko across the dish to even the score at 1-1.
Bill Rice came back in the bottom of the third inning to lead off with a homerun and give USCA a 2-1 advantage.
Abreu crossed the plate again for the Bearcats, this time off a single to left field by Skinner to even the score once more at 2-2.
Asbill came in to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning to pinch hit for Kyle Rice and sent a hard hit ball to left field to get on base. Wethington then laid down a very well placed sacrifice bunt to move Asbill into scoring position on second base. Asbill scored the winning run from third on a passed ball.
Drew Elliott suffered the loss for Lander. He falls to 0-1 on the season.
Thomas McLeod (3-1) earned the win for the Pacers in eight innings of work, striking out four batters.
